A powerful line of thunderstorms swept through Northern Virginia on August 3, 2024, causing significant power outages across Prince William and Stafford counties. The severe weather left many residents in the dark as utility companies scrambled to restore service.
Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) Outages
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Updated 1 p.m. -- All 111 Prince William Estates neighborhood residents who lost power on Monday had it restored by 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 10, 2024.
"Initially, it was called in as two broken poles and two broken cross arms. When our crews arrived, they found the first broken cross-arm and a second before coming across a third broken pole. So three broken poles total," said Dominion Energy spokeswoman Aisha Khan. "Also, there was an untraceable gas line connected to the third broken pole, causing it to be a tough dig for our crews.
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Residents of Prince William Estates in Dumfries have been experiencing a power outage since early this morning, affecting 111 customers in the neighborhood in Dumfries.
According to Dominion Energy, the outage was caused by a fallen tree that broke two utility poles.
The power outage was first reported at 5:56 a.m., and Dominion Energy crews have been working throughout the day to restore power. Aisha Khan, Dominion Energy spokeswoman, provided an update on the situation.
“A tree fell, breaking two poles, causing the outage,” Khan stated. “The exact reason for the tree falling is unknown, but it was likely due to natural causes, such as the tree being dead and falling naturally. Dominion field crews have been on-site all day, working diligently on restoration efforts.”
The Dominion outage map indicates that power is expected to be restored between 5 and 8 p.m. this evening. Residents are advised to prepare for continued power outages until then.
Currently, there have been no official announcements from the Town of Dumfries or Prince William County regarding providing services to assist residents during the outage.
“Local activists and officials are joining hands to oppose Dominion Energy’s efforts to build a new substation and transmission lines near Gainesville to fuel data centers,” reports Ben Peters at Insidenova.com.
Bay Journal: “The effect of coal ash on the environment has been studied and debated for more than seven years now in Virginia. Utilities have spent those years looking for long-term disposal solutions for huge volumes of the industrial waste product, much of it located near major rivers.”
“Frankel and his team studied surface water, sediment, species diversity and fish tissue from Quantico Creek, which runs into the Potomac River next to the Possum Point Power Station in Dumfries. They found elevated concentrations of several trace metals in the sediment and in the muscle tissues of banded killifish, which are food for striped bass, birds and other predators. The researchers also found reduced species diversity in the stretch of Quantico Creek closest to the power station, compared with samples taken at upstream and downstream locations.”
Dominion Energy is bullish on placing its remaining coal ash in a $347 million landfill at Possum Point.
Representatives from one of the largest state utilities outlined a plan for a new landfill next to the power plant on the banks of the Potomac River near Dumfries. The plant, built as a coal-burning plant in 1948, was converted to burn gas in 2003.
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Prince William County Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey will hold a town hall to discuss the coal ash ponds and plans to cap them in a landfill near Dumfries.
The town hall will be held on March 30 at Potomac High School, 3401 Panther Pride Drive in Woodbridge.
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Prince William County Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey said she'll hold a town hall meeting about Possum Point later this month.
The town hall will be held on March 30, according to Bailey's chief of staff, Shaunee Caldwell-Lynch. Bailey has yet to announce a meeting location.
